Just Cause 2 Developer Says Wii U Dev Kits Are "Collecting Dust"

[Flatfrog]

As far as I can see, one thing alone got the original Wii up and running, and that was Wii Sports. It was what differentiated the Wii from its competitors: at least as far as its initial market was concerned, the Wii was the platform for casual and family gaming. It was about bowling, boxing, throwing darts and dancing. Of course, once it had established itself, it acquired a bigger market, but at least at first, the Wii defeated all comers by being the console your mum might enjoy playing on. And importantly, Wii Sports came with the console, so everyone could play it. It gave the Wii a personal identity.

It seems that Nintendo forgot all these lessons with the WiiU. They thought they could just make a brand new console and persuade people to buy it for no other reason than a vague 'this is kind of cool'. And now they're surprised no one is biting.

 

[Maerx]

-Wii U has no games
-Nobody buys it
-Devs don't want to sell on something nobody has
-Wii U continues to have no games.

This may very well change later on but for the love of fuck, guys, have good launch titles please.

Pretty much. The problem it's Nintendo who released that console expecting it to set the world on fire, just like it's predecessor.

Previous success doesn't guarantee future success. Best example is Sony, the PS2 domitaded its generation in every aspect yet the PS3 was the definition of a flop. Actually, Nintendo is doing the exact same thing; selling the console on future potential but no games and only its diehard fans are falling for it.

I guess they couldn't learn from the 3DS launch either.

 

[Scrythe]

Bayonetta 2 isn't going to stay exclusive for long. Nintendo has rarely been able to hang on to 3rd-party exclusives.

[ul]
* Resident Evil 4
* Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
* Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles
* Dead Space: Extraction
* GoldenEye 007
* Rayman Legends
[/ul]

I'm sure I'm missing a few more.

 

[Iron Criterion]

Its user base will increase once games start coming out for it! Not making games will keep the user base low.

DOH I GOT NINJA'D. But at least we know it's common sense. The problem with the Wii-U right now is not enough good exclusives, and it won't get any good exclusives unless people start making games for it.

This is true.

But with Wind Waker HD and the Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut coming, I'm pretty tempted.

If Shadow of the Eternals is actually released, I am so getting a Wii U.

 

[Korten12]

Bayonetta 2 isn't going to stay exclusive for long. Nintendo has rarely been able to hang on to 3rd-party exclusives.

[ul]
* Resident Evil 4
* Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
* Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles
* Dead Space: Extraction
* GoldenEye 007
* Rayman Legends
[/ul]

I'm sure I'm missing a few more.

Bayonetta 2 will most likely never come to other Consoles since Nintendo is funding it.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Bayonetta 2 isn't going to stay exclusive for long. Nintendo has rarely been able to hang on to 3rd-party exclusives.

[ul]
* Resident Evil 4
* Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
* Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles
* Dead Space: Extraction
* GoldenEye 007
* Rayman Legends
[/ul]

I'm sure I'm missing a few more.

Not when Nintendo is the one financing and publishing it.

 

[The Lunatic]

It's amusing to go back to the Pratcher thread and see everyone hailing him as completely incorrect, yet, here we are. With the WiiU having lackluster Third Party support.


Launch titles are really important. And ultimately, Nintendo has really failed to grow their initial user base fast enough to prevent this from happening.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Lovely little chicken and egg scenario. You know, one would think that smaller devs would jump at the chance to have a platform where the AAA titles wouldn't oppose them and overshadow them. Have a chance to become a "system seller" and get a bit of the spotlight.

Then again game budgets have become so bloated and wasteful and extravagant that "smaller devs" don't really exist anymore. The PS4 and NextBox are going to have the same problems assuming they don't ship out with early-Wii-like numbers once they release. The need to sell 5 million+ units are going to have AAA devs releasing games for the PS3/360 for a while. Most of the system selling is going to have to come from the first parties, because the way the industry is right now, no third party is going to want to try and risk making a "system seller".

Nintendo has blown the chance to get an great early lead, but by the time the PS4/NextBox come around, the bigger WiiU titles will start hitting shelves. That's when things are going to get interesting.

 

[deadish]

So the one thing that Nintendo correct chose to do, improving 3rd party develop relations and support, isn't working out ...

This does not bode well for the Wii U.

Its user base will increase once games start coming out for it! Not making games will keep the user base low.

Yeah, this is kind of circular logic, innit?

More of a chicken and egg problem.

 

[KungFuJazzHands]

OT: It's slightly disingenous to say that the Wii U won't be able to run Frostbite 3, given that all DICE said was that they did a few preliminary tests, and that the console is already running similar engines like Cryengine 3 just fine.

DICE never said that the WiiU was unable to run Frostbite, they said it ran very poorly. They were talking about Frostbite 2, BTW. Also, CryEngine is highly scalable, while FB is not -- making comparisons between the two in the context of porting over to the WiiU is a bit disingenuous.

It's been pointed out on other sites that FB3 is a very CPU-hungry physics-heavy engine, and modifying games like Battlefield 4 to run on the WiiU's architecture would mean cutting out much of what appeals to gamers about the series. Seeing as how the WiiU is running a souped-up version of the ancient PowerPC 750 processor and only 2GB of RAM, it's not surprising Frosbite would have issues with it.

 

[Shuu]

This is exactly what I was afraid would happen. If either the publishers stop targeting the Wii U or consumers stop buying for the Wii U, it becomes a vicious cycle.

 

[UberNoodle]

"We won't support the system until it gets more popular which will only happen once it gets more support."

How consoles die.

Anyway, isn't the new Shadows of the Eternals running on the new Crytec engine? This game is set for WiiU.

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

Well, Nintendo dug themselves into this situation. With out a new Smash Bros, Zelda, Mario, Mario Kart, Metroid and Fire Emblem they should be able to sell enough Wii Us to entice devs back.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Ironically, I'm holding out for more games to be made for the thing before picking one up. Games like...Just Cause 3, for instance. If that was advertised next to a few other new titles (not existing ports), then I'd be significantly more inclined to pick one up.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

OT: It's slightly disingenous to say that the Wii U won't be able to run Frostbite 3, given that all DICE said was that they did a few preliminary tests, and that the console is already running similar engines like Cryengine 3 just fine.

DICE never said that the WiiU was unable to run Frostbite, they said it ran very poorly. They were talking about Frostbite 2, BTW. Also, CryEngine is highly scalable, while FB is not -- making comparisons between the two in the context of porting over to the WiiU is a bit disingenuous.

So basically they made a VERY shitty engine that is made exclusively for tech-porn. That's kinda shortsighted.

 

[faefrost]

I wonder if any of the console makers are looking at this and suddenly realizing the downside to required always on internet consoles. The development houses can now ask and have a reasonable expectation of an answer;
- Exactly How Many Registered Consoles are out there?
- How many have been used in x time frame?
Because guess what. Everytime these suckers fire up they will be calling home to momma. And that would suddenly become data that the console makers can't mask with BS sales numbers. Karma's a byotch ain't it.

In the case of the WiiU nintendo has some really high hurdles. Look at it from the 3rd party developer houses;
- PS4 dev kit... IT'S A PC! NO REALLY IT'S AN x86 PC! The only thing even mildly exotic (that any developer will bother to use) is that little touchy pad thing on the controller... WHICH IS A MOUSE! Most Dev houses can program for this console drunk... and will.

- XBoxWHATEVERTHEHELLTHEYCALLIT... The XBox has always been "PC Like" But now... IT'S A PC! No really! x86 CPU, PC GPU etc etc. The studio intern can port back and forth between the PS4 and XBoxWHOCARESWHATTHEYCALLITATTHISPOINT in about an afternoon. Most exotic thing is the Kinnect gizmo, which they may or may not simply ignore, and they have been messing with PC API's for for years now.

- WiiU; Ummm? WTF is this thing? Weird CPU/GPU. Underpowered, low memory for the generation (granted better than PS3). Limited guaranteed storage (yeah you can plug a usb drive in, but the devs can't predict if the customer will do that or count on it. Bad design decision!) And the showstopper. The core gimmick of the system, the weird iPad type controller thingy. It's more complicated to program for. Yet only 1 player can really use it, meaning multiplayer games not only support asymetric design, they require it. And designing stuff around it means you can't port to another console, you pretty much have to go from scratch. Without some massive install base, why would a third party developer go anywhere near this thing?

 

[KungFuJazzHands]

OT: It's slightly disingenous to say that the Wii U won't be able to run Frostbite 3, given that all DICE said was that they did a few preliminary tests, and that the console is already running similar engines like Cryengine 3 just fine.

DICE never said that the WiiU was unable to run Frostbite, they said it ran very poorly. They were talking about Frostbite 2, BTW. Also, CryEngine is highly scalable, while FB is not -- making comparisons between the two in the context of porting over to the WiiU is a bit disingenuous.

So basically they made a VERY shitty engine that is made exclusively for tech-porn. That's kinda shortsighted.

Undoubtedly. That doesn't mean we should excuse the WiiU's paltry hardware specs, however. There's enough blame in this mess to pass around to all parties involved.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Once Q4 is over I'm pretty sure the Wii U sales would have increased dramatically. They seem to be releasing a shitload of stuff just in time for the holidays.

And during that time, nobody other than Nintendo is going to be developing for the WiiU, creating that wonderful gap in competition that will let the PS4 and Xbox/Durango/Infinity go uncontested.

Because it's not like Ubisoft, Capcom, Disney, Activision et al aren't currently working on Wii U games. Nope, no siree.

Let's see how many survive that. Just with those names you put up alone there's very little hope.

Ubisoft- Makes the only 3rd party game to significantly use the tablet controller. Doesn't sell well. Removes exclusivity from Rayman Legends.

Capcom- Cancels Megaman Legends 3 for the 3DS due to poor sales. Puts Monster Hunter 3 on the Wii U and 3DS. The game currently isn't selling well, not even 1/4 as well as that franchise has sold on the PSP for crying out loud. They also recently announced that they are going to focus on Virtual Console releases for the Wii U. Hardly a system selling strategy.

Disney- are you really expecting quality gaming from Disney? Epic Mickey 1&2 were both pretty meh, and last time I checked Disney's development studio was significantly cut back. The closed the devs for Epic Mickey and the racing game I'm to lazy to Google.

Activision- Are you for real? have you seen what games are upcoming from them? Angry Birds, Caleb's Big Game Hunting, movie tie in games, Pro Bass Fishing, Skylanders?

Along with the fact that Activision saying that the Wii U's launch has them worried:[link]http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/191963/Weak_Wii_U_console_transition_have_Activision_wary_for_2013.php[/link]

The 4 companies you have listed don't make the most solid case for developers that are "raring to make games" for the Wii U. Your optimism is sometimes amusing at times Jeffers but this is getting to be a little much.

Not even Metal Gear Solid 3 on the 3DS could sell well. 3rd party developers got bend over a table and had their cheeks spread involuntarily with the Wii and that thing sold very well, so a bad selling Nintendo console would be like poison to 3rd party devs right now.

It's like watching the Sega Saturn all over again.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Undoubtedly. That doesn't mean we should excuse the WiiU's paltry hardware specs, however. There's enough blame in this mess to pass around to all parties involved.

Oh hell no, I can completely excuse the Wii U's specs as Nintendo actually uses them for GAMEPLAY rather than just tech-porn. It just disappoints me that 3rd parties have rendered themselves incapable of lateral thinking. I guess I'll blame Nintendo for putting too much faith in the current crop of devs.

 

[xPixelatedx]

Lol I like how they are saying it's unusable because the games they are going to be making are too advanced... yet in every other story about next-gen games we hear they are far too expensive to sustain. This guy might be surprised at how appealing making games for the wiiU looks after they realize they can't make a profit off of PS4 and Xbox Infinity games; especially once those consoles launch and prove they will have a near equally small user base because good games arn't abundant yet.